A Fateful Encounter
by Akihanah
Summary: Kagome, a newly orphaned girl living alone in a small village, meets a haughty young lord late one night in an unlikely encounter that will change the course of her life. A tale of danger and drama in the Sengoku Jidai.
1. Chapter 1

**After a very long time, I have something new to post. Updates might not be as frequent as I would like, but I'll try to post them as soon as I can. ~Akihana**

Chapter 1

Smoke poured from a little village in a valley surrounded by tall, steep mountains. It didn't look like smoke from a catastrophe, or from some natural source. It looked like the kind of smoke that came from man made sources. Smoke was an interesting thing. To most creatures it meant danger, in the form of a forest fire that was about to consume their homes and make them migrate to new areas. For humans, however, it took on a new value. It meant that someone was making something, or that they were cooking. Both were things that belonged with towns, with groups of humans.

However, smoke could still signify danger to humans. Because man had befriended fire and brought it into his home, sometimes fire could burst free and consume everything. The smoke smelled different then. For one thing, there was always too much of it. And it was darker, a darkness that covered the sky and broadcasted doom.

For years Kagome had come home along a mountain trail from gathering herbs for food and medicine, and the sight of the plume of grey smoke meant that her mother had started dinner and that she was almost home. However, on that fateful day, the smoke had been darker. It had filled the sky, and seemed to roar rather than float in wisps into the heavens. There had been no animals in the woods, and not a bird or a woodland critter could be heard, especially not over the roar of the fire. Kagome had been walking home, as normal, with a bucket full of plants. The smoke and the smell of disaster halted her in her tracks, but she soon broke from her stupor and ran in horror for her home, dropping the bucket and letting its contents fall down the slope. She had tried to cut through the trees to get to her house faster, and in the end the attempted shortcut saved her. She had tripped over a fallen log and fallen to the ground right underneath a brambly bush. When she tried to rise she got her hair and kimono caught in the thorns and was unable to move quickly unless she wanted to lose most of her skin.

Over the roar of the fire she heard cackling.

"It went ri' up, dinnit? Like a torch."

"Wood 'n thatch and oil 'r all yeh need."

More laughter followed, the kind of laughter belonging to burly ruffians. Kagome froze. It was a miracle that they hadn't heard her, though it was probably difficult to do so over the roar of the fire and their own laughter.

"No man to defend the house, eh? The broad didn't have no husband?"

"Just a jiijii and a broad and a brat. Piece o'cake."

"Huh. No sport neither."

"Not all of us get sport out o' 'em. Ah, I wish there had been a sweet young thing to try out."

More jeering laughter followed.

"Can't we just go down t' the village and get ourselves some wenches?"

A harder voice answered this. Something told Kagome that this was the leader. "No, swine. That village supplies rice for the Emperor himself! The record keepers and samurai of this area are definitely going to notice us raiding a town. Content yourself with bespoiling the outcasts."

There was disconcerted grumbling.

The harsh voice spoke again. "The villagers will notice the smoke. We should not be here when they come. Maybe next time there will be a wench. Just hold your dicks until then."

The rest of the comments were lost as the bandits walked away from where Kagome lay trapped, until she could not hear them over the roar of the fire.

Kagome felt herself trembling on the ground.

_Okaa, Jii-chan, Souta…_

She pushed herself forward, not caring that the brambles were tearing her kimono and her flesh. She broke free, bringing several branches with her. Her house was beginning to fall in on itself as the walls disintegrated and the roof fell in. The bandits had obviously looted the house first, as some knick-knacks lay scattered on the ground. Suddenly realizing that she was crying, Kagome knelt to retrieve that last of her family's belongings.

A thin white cloth lay upon the ground, and she saw that it was shorter that it should have been. One end was stained with blood. The bandits must have cut her mother down while she was wearing it to tie back her sleeves, and the cloth dropped loose as they dragged her body into the hut to burn. Shaking, she picked it up. She took her knife that she used to cut herbs, and severed the end that was stained red. Not too far away lay a few scattered papers. She felt a sob rip out of her throat when she saw them.

Her Jii-chan had written protective sutras even though he had no spiritual powers, to protect their home and family. Rage boiled in her that the bandits had touched them. She carefully took the papers and wrapped the stack in the white cloth of her mother's. She searched around the building, but she found nothing of her brother's.

"Kagome-chan." A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She started and looked up into the sorrowful eyes of her mother's closest friend in the village. Behind her were several others, who had obviously seen the smoke. Their eyes were harder, and they did not look at her.

The woman took hold of her shoulders. "We'll come in the morning, when things have cooled down, to give them a burial and search for anything that remains."

"I wish to remain here."

The woman frowned. "Kagome, it is not safe here, especially not for a young girl."

Kagome responded to her, feeling strangely detached. "It was safe for all of my life here, and before when my mother and father lived here. I will stay."

The woman clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and walked away towards the group of villagers.

Kagome's family had rarely gone into the village, as her father had desired to maintain a mountain abode rather than reside in the village proper. Kagome used to go down to the village almost every day, but when her father decided to pass on his knowledge of plants to her, she went less and less, until her chores that involved going there were allocated to her brother and her mother. Souta had been far too young to learn from her father when he died, and he expressed no desire to learn anything from her. Then again, he was only eight. Most boys were only concerned with playing and tormenting the little girls in the village at that age. It wasn't until they got older that they settled down and learned life tasks.

Kagome's grandfather had tried his best to start forming Souta into a man, but now she would never see how he would have turned out. Kagome sighed chokingly, feeling her breath hitch with every intake of air. Her chest hurt from trying not to fall to the ground and weep.

She turned teary eyes towards the villagers, who were discussing something in a circle, sending furtive glances at her and at the burning hut. She hadn't seen many of them in weeks.

Finally the same woman broke away and came towards her.

"Fine," she said stiffly, "you may remain here for tonight. But after that you need to come to the village where we can decide what is to be done with you."

With that she walked back to her group, who had already started edging away from the ruined home, and from the ruined girl. They hurried away, having left their village and their families for too long.

Kagome sat, numbly, watching the fire begin to wind down. Her hut had been too far away from any trees to set the forest on fire. That, in fact, was probably why the villagers had come. If the forest were burning, then they would need to evacuate their homes. But there was little danger of this fire spreading unless the wind picked up.

After a while Kagome went back along the mountain trail and tracked down her bucket, which she used to ferry water from a nearby stream and dump on the fading fire. Close to dawn it was only dying embers, and she could safely walk among them. Using some unburned wood, she pushed aside the thatch and wood that had fallen in from the roof, to uncover blackened forms. They still steamed, and it was obvious that something like oil was poured on their bodies, which were stacked, to make them burn. Crying the whole way, Kagome dragged each of them out of the ruin and laid them out in the green space a little ways away. She thought that their bodies deserved to lie among something peaceful before being committed to the earth. She searched among the ruins, but everything, the clothes, the money, even the food, had been taken by the raiders. Even the few toys that her brother used to play with had been taken.

Her numbness consumed her. She touched the paper wrapped in the cloth, and it brought her a little comfort. She would give them proper burials, and not let them lay in the destruction.

To her relief, the bandits had not found their spade. She unearthed it and used it to dig three holes. It was hard work, and the sun rose steadily as she tore through roots and rocks to make space. Finally she pushed the blackened, damaged bodies in. Then she carefully jumped in and made sure they were arranged properly. She knew she should have something of theirs to accompany them to the grave. However, nothing of her brother's remained, and she desperately wanted to keep the reminders of her mother and her grandfather. So she went and found flowers and laid them around the corpses' heads and on their hands and chests. Then she covered them and placed stones to mark the place where they lay.

That work done, she sat and prayed for them. She sat for a long time, and the sun was on its way down when she finally rose. She wasn't crying anymore. She could smell the smoke from the village, which meant that the villagers were cooking dinner. Her mother's friend would undoubtedly be angry with her for not coming immediately that morning. She hid the spade among the trees, and then picked up her bucket, carefully feeling the soft package tucked into her underwear. She didn't want to leave it somewhere that people could steal it. The bucket was hard to hide, and would undoubtedly be taken from her, but she was going to fight tooth and nail to hold on to her family's keepsakes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kagome peered out past the straw mat to her humble dwelling. She had only lasted a week in her mother's friend's hut. The hut was really too small for another full-grown occupant, and her rebelliousness was soundly criticized. When it was decided that she be moved to the small shack watching over the fishpond, it brought relief on all sides. Now she lived in a little shanty that leaned into the small bluff it was built against, and it looked like it might come down with the next storm. She was supposed to guard the fishpond and throw stones at anything that came to steal the fish.

Since nothing really wanted to come right into the village just for measly fish, she'd had very little to do. She was incredibly lucky, however, that this was the only job the village wanted her for. Her plant knowledge would be utilized to an extent, but otherwise they only expected her to help with the farming. For the past generation girls had outnumbered boys in the population of children, so finding decent marriages became a desperate struggle among the more well to do families in the village. Because of this, no one bothered to try and arrange a husband for the orphan, eccentric girl who guarded the fishpond. Kagome was pleased about this. She found most of the boys fairly uninteresting, and none of them showed her any interest whatsoever. Also, she knew she would never find a man who would be open with her like her father had, and she had no desire to become a silent housewife. Her husband would undoubtedly have problems with her plant skills, and would not let her roam the forest at will.

She sprawled out on her straw mat on the dirt floor, shifting so that the root from one of the trees overhead did not dig into her back. She did not curse the root. In fact, if it were not for the trees above her home, she was sure that every time it rained she would be soaked. Because of the presence of the canopy above her, very few droplets of water came down, and she was able to remain dry. She could put up with an odd lump in her bed if it meant she didn't get wet every time that it rained.

Tonight was quiet, with only the buzzing of insects and calls of the occasional owl. The wind blew through the grasses at the border of the forest. Kagome had not eaten yet, but she did not have very much rice left, so she would wait until morning to make porridge. She was not very hungry right now. When she had gone out she found the plants to make a strong tea, which she drank regularly to help offset her very meager rice ration. She also regularly added flavorful herbs to her rice porridge, so she probably ate better than most of the village.

A few of the children of the village would occasionally come to her hut, when their parents and older siblings were not watching, of course, and learn a bit about plants from her. She showed them how to make tea, and which plants to use. As a reward for listening so well, she usually gave them a cup of tea, which they eagerly drank. She was sure that their parents would not be happy about this, so she never mentioned it around anyone, and she would come out first to make sure no one was watching when they left her hut. She was relatively certain that they said that they were visiting the fishpond. It was a common enough thing for children to do, and a way for them to be out of the way of the adults without being off by themselves, as the fishpond was inside the village perimeter.

Lying on her mat, she almost missed the shuffling along the ground. Suddenly very alert, she quietly sat up. It was clear now that she listened for it; soft shuffling that was coming from a little past the pond. She rose and slunk to the doorway. Instead of moving the straw mat she lay down and stuck her head out the door in the gap between the end of the hanging mat and the ground.

She was sure that they weren't trying to hide. There was no way. Two people were walking out of the forest and into the village, but not by the road. They were coming out of the woods, and not bothering to be quiet.

"Damn, what a hamlet!"

"Inuyasha, these people obviously are using what resources they have to live the best life they can."

"Don't get so philosophical, monk. It makes my head hurt."

"You should learn about human culture, Inuyasha, and not by sneaking around at night."

The other person snorted.

"I just come here to get out of the castle. The air here is clearer, even though humans smell."

Kagome finally got a clear view of them. One looked normal, like an ordinary human monk. But the other made her eyes pop. He had bright silver hair that fell clear down his back, but it was healthy and full, not like old people's hair. He wore a bright red costume that looked expensive, and a slightly beaten up sword hung at his waist. He was obviously young, and well formed. He strutted confidently forward, unlike the common farmers she saw normally. The other man followed behind him, with more respect for the fact that he was intruding on a village in the night.

The silver man kicked at the ground at the edge of the pond, knocking rocks into the water.

"Keh! What a dump."

Kagome bristled. The arrogance of the man annoyed her, especially when encroaching on others' boundaries. This was her village, and he was kicking rocks into her pond.

Her heart nearly stopped when he abruptly looked up and stared straight at her. She froze, and couldn't bring herself to move back into the hut.

The man scoffed.

"Miroku, look, we have a stalker."

She flushed in anger. Before she could stop herself she jumped to her feet and stepped completely out of the hut. The man looked somewhat shocked, but he recovered his smugness enough to scoff at her. She strode down to the edge of the fishpond, which separated them.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, squaring off against him.

He smirked at her, turning away to look at the other man. "What do you make of this?"

The other man looked more disconcerted. "Inuyasha, can we try to not disturb the residents of this village?"

"You are too chivalrous, monk."

"Hey!" She insisted, making him turn to focus back on her. "You're being disrespectful to this village. You should leave, now!"

She could tell he was barely holding in his laughter. He crouched down, and she took a nervous step back as he seemed to vanish, and then hard arms locked around her shoulders and she was lifted into the air. She barely held in her scream as he suddenly let go and she fell on her rear in front of him. She looked around, and realized she was now on the other side of the pond.

"That's…" she stuttered, "that's not possible. How did you move so fast?"

He smirked again, rolling his shoulders back cockily.

"What do you expect from a youkai, girl? We're much more powerful that a puny human!"

For the first time she noticed that he had tufts of silver perched on his head. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were different from the surrounding hair.

"What are those?" she stood and went up on tiptoes to grab at them. He didn't notice in time and she managed to latch on for a few moments.

"They're ears!" she exclaimed, rubbing gently. He looked shocked, and she was pleased to see that he was actually perturbed.

"Oi!" he swatted at her hands, dislodging them. He backed away, obviously trying to keep her away from the appendages.

"You have ears on top of your head," she said. "Is that because you're a youkai?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Keh! Nosy bitch. Keep to yourself."

She pressed on, knowing she'd made this infuriatingly confident man uncomfortable.

"Is he a youkai? Why doesn't he have ears?"

The other man chuckled. "Dear maiden, I am in fact a simple human monk."

They all turned when they heard someone moving deeper into the center of the village.

"We should leave, Inuyasha. We should not bother the villagers any further."

"Keh!"

Inuyasha and Miroku began to walk away, Miroku bowing to her before following after the youkai.

"Hey!" she hissed, following after them. "You're not even going to apologize for bothering me? You can't just leave like that."

Inuyasha looked at her oddly, and then smirked again. "I'll come back again tomorrow." With that he turned his shoulder and then he and the other man vanished into the darkness.

Kagome sank to her knees, still utterly confused by the past five minutes. _Who _were_ they? Why on earth did they come here?_

She nervously realized that someone might come to investigate the noise and would be mad at her for disturbing them. Hurriedly she rushed through the pond and up the opposite bank to her hut, slipping inside.

Quietly lying on her mat, she laid a hand on her shoulders, where he had firmly grasped her and then flew them both over the pond. _Who were they?_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kagome was distracted all day. She tried to pour water from the well bucket without having ever filled it with water, causing several women around the well to titter loudly as she dropped the bucket down into the water, cheeks red. She then tripped over a root on the way into her hut, losing the water that she had gotten. Pride hurt, she waited until later to refill the water bucket.

Herb gathering was a pleasant way to get out of the village and away from the gossip of the women. She could simply sit and think without anyone yelling at her, or mocking her.

She reviewed everything that she remembered from the encounter, but didn't come to any new conclusions. She wondered at first if they had been young lords, but then why would they sneak around in the dead of night, in a small village? Not only that, they had put up with a dirty little village girl yelling at them and belittling them. That wasn't even mentioning how one of them had the ears of a dog, and the ability to jump unnaturally. He'd taken her with him when he'd jumped over the fishpond. She had flown far above the ground and the water, and it had stunned even her sharp tongue.

_He said he was coming back tonight. I wonder why he promised me? I'm just some village girl._

All of the sudden, Kagome sat up from where she'd flopped down on the grass.

_What if he is a kami? That would explain why he is part animal, and why he had such amazing abilities! It fits! But…_she frowned…_why is a holy kami-sama visiting my village? And why is he coming back for me? I'm too argumentative to make a good wife. Men want pretty, quiet women of good background who will bear sons and can run a household. I'm anything but quiet, and not very pretty, and even though I can cook, I am an orphan, and my family was nothing. I'm of no value._

_Kagome no baka!_

Furiously tearing plants from their roots, she stomped about, taking out her annoyance on the greenery. _Baka baka baka baka baka!_

She focused herself on her work, hanging herbs to dry in and around her hut. That took her some time, and then she set herself to making more string from strands of hemp. There was always use for string, and she always needed plenty of it. However, she found it more and more difficult to concentrate on her task as it grew increasingly dark. She gave up when the sun vanished completely, because she didn't have very reliable means of lighting her shack after dark, and thus could not really work after the sun went down.

She realized that she hadn't eaten all day when her stomach growled. Knowing that there was probably a little more time before he came, she lit her fire and began to prepare her dinner.

She ate quickly, pausing to glance out of the shack to look for him between bites. He did not come.

She finished her rice porridge and cleaned her pot and bowl. Everything was put away and in order in her hut. He still was not there.

_Why would he lie about coming? He could have just ignored me and walked away, but he said he would come again. Maybe he couldn't come?_

A sharp snap from the forest attracted her attention. A shape was coming into focus, walking out of the trees. It was Inuyasha. She scrambled out of her hut and hurried towards the edge of the fishpond. She paused there, watching him approach. As he neared the bank of the pond he took an extra hard step and leap into the air, flying forward and landing several feet from her. He crossed his arms, his face in a scowl.

"Whaddya want, bitch," he snapped crossly.

She was very affronted, and let him know this by taking several steps back and frowning at him.

"I wanted to see you again," she said, not really knowing why. "Besides, you promised to come back." She was beginning to regret asking him to come, if he was going to be such a jerk to her.

She noted with triumph that he looked a little guilty, kicking at the rocks around his bare feet.

"You didn't bring the other man this time."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Would you have preferred him instead? He's a much better conversationalist than I am."

Kagome was beginning to wonder if she would. "I was simply asking a question." She settled on, trying not to offend this creature.

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "Fine," he grumbled. "We probably shouldn't talk in the middle of the fuckin' village, or we'll wake up everyone."

She nodded, eager to fly again. Sadly, he turned and began to walk away, not bothering to check and see if she followed. However, when she didn't he turned and looked at her pointedly over his shoulder. She followed hurriedly, falling into pace at his side. He gave her a glance, slightly shocked at how she walked at his side. They walked in silence for a little ways until he spoke again.

"You're obviously not a proper woman."

She stopped short, shocked at the bold statement.

He turned to look at her, looking triumphant. "You talk out of place, confront your superiors, and presume to walk by my side. You're obviously no proper woman. What man would want you for a wife?"

Her eyes were wide and her face drawn after his pronouncement.

"You…you…" she spluttered, too angry to form coherent sentences. She breathed in and out slowly, gathering her patience.

"What business is it of yours? If you were the young lord of this province, then you would have cut me down the first night. Since you're not, and you aren't my father, then you have no right to tell me what to do. I am my own woman, and I will do as I please."

She glared at him, willing herself not to try and lay into him. "If all you're going to do is insult me, then please leave me alone. The likes of you is not so high as to judge me!"

She raised her chin proudly, staring him down. He stared right back, but he looked rather shocked. "You're running at the mouth, woman!"

"If you only wanted to insult me then why did you come? Village boys have more respect than you do. Get out. I don't have to take this in my home."

He looked highly affronted now, and close to rage. "Bitch…" he growled furiously.

"Why do you call me these names? My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me. You should use it!"

"Why should I? 'Bitch' is just fine for you."

"Why do you insist on provoking me?"

"I'm not! 'Bitch' is what we call our females."

This brought Kagome up short. "Who is we?"

He puffed himself up. "The inu youkai, of course. Our females are bitches."

"But I'm human. Human women aren't called bitches."

Now he looked very embarrassed. "An inu youkai's woman is his bitch." He explained, looking rather flustered.

Kagome faltered. To say she was startled would be an understatement. That was far too forward a statement, especially for their second meeting.

"Umm, really?" she said. Her curiosity soon overcame her embarrassment.

"Are there many youkai with human women?"

That seemed to touch a nerve. His bluster came back, and so did his loudness.

"Of course not. Why would a youkai want a human?"

Kagome held her tongue, deciding not to call him out on contradicting himself. He did not seem to know fully what he was saying, and confronting him would probably just make him angry and irrational, at least, even more so than he already was. He was a very frustrating, but very interesting person. He seemed to be confused about his own personal beliefs, and that fascinated her.

"Why did you even come to see me then?" she said, with more bite in her voice than she actually felt.

"You asked me to, bitch!" he snarled back, his cheeks becoming flushed, whether with anger or embarrassment Kagome couldn't tell.

"Yes, I did. But now I think I'm regretting it."

He shifted back at that, looking uncomfortable. "Fine, then just go home already!"

"I should!"

"Then just go! I don't wanna see your face."

"Fine!"

Kagome turned on her heel and stomped off, feeling the headache already setting in behind her forehead. Small sticks and rocks feel prey to her furious stomping and kicking.

"Baka baka baka baka baka baka BAKA!" she cried, knowing that her temper was getting the best of her and that she didn't care at the moment.

Something loud cracked in the bushes, and she immediately turned to face it, on her guard.

"Inuyasha?" she queried, wondering why he was being so obvious about following her. He didn't seem like that kind of person.

A large spider, impossibly large, burst from the bushes and came straight for her. It was easily taller than she was, and she saw it open its great maw, flanked on either side by fangs that dripped a clear liquid that make the ground smoke. She stood frozen.

_I should run. I should run. Run. Run… _She took a trembling step backwards. _Run, run…_

A red blur blew right in front of her face, making her vision temporarily spotty and breaking her fearful paralysis. In front of her the spider had been torn to the side and was now in two pieces, and rapidly being split into more. The red flash was cutting it apart viciously, leaving it no time to retaliate. When it was no more than small, twitching pieces, Inuyasha halted and turned to her, his face a mask of rage.

She flinched away from him, realizing that he was about ready to explode.

And so he did.

"What the _fuck_ were you thinking, goddamn bitch!" He screamed, his eyes gaining a wild tinge of red. "You could have been _killed_! A human wench all alone is the perfect target for a youkai, and you wouldn't have stood a chance. It would have eaten you, you stupid bitch!" He was shaking in rage, his hands flexing out to display their lethal long claws.

She cowered under his wrath, letting only a small whimper escape her lips. All her anger with him from before had vanished, and she was too shell shocked at the moment to get mad at him for yelling at her. She sank to her knees, and grabbed her arms to hug herself.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "t-thank you. For saving me."

Her quiet words made him halt, calming his anger, bringing his boiling blood back to a calm. He worked to control his temper, so that he wouldn't yell at her again. It really wasn't her fault. He'd brought her out here late at night, and then let her leave alone to go back through the woods. He was a fucking fool to let her go off by herself.

"It's fine," he said gruffly, striding over to where she sat on the forest floor. He bent down and wrapped his arm under her arms to lift her to her feet, and then shifted to allow her to climb onto his back. She hesitated, but then after a gruff command awkwardly latched onto his haori and pressed her legs firmly onto his hipbones. He reached back to grab her thighs firmly so that she wouldn't slide off of his back, ignoring the warmth of that intimate area that his hands were gripping.

"Hold on," he murmured back to her, gripping her legs tightly as he pushed off of the ground. He heard her gasp behind him, and felt how she gripped him tighter across the shoulders and hips.

"Ahh," she said excitedly, trying to sidle further up his back to see better.

He smirked, deciding to show off a little. He pushed off hard from a tree branch and thrust them both high above the treetops and into the night sky. She twisted around excitedly, enough to make him grab onto her tighter to make sure she didn't fall.

"We can see the village from here." She said from somewhere above his head.

"Yes, yes, now get down and hang on." He said, not able to make his voice grouchy when she was so exhilarated.

They dropped through the leaves again, and he pushed off hard to clear the canopy. She giggled in his ear as they soared through the air. He heard her abruptly stop, and he smelled her scent become sad. He looked up at her, and then followed her gaze to a spot in the mountains. It looked like a burned out clearing. He changed course and made his way there, ignoring her tugging at his haori to get his attention.

He landed in the clearing, looking at the remains of a burned out hut. It had obviously happened recently, as plants had only just started to grow in the space.

"What happened here?" He asked, picking his way through the ruin. She was quiet; taking in the amount that nature was taking her old home back into itself. She brought her hands together and bowed her head for a prayer. When she opened them he was staring at her, an odd look in his eyes.

"You knew these people?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she said simply. She didn't feel the need to add that she had known them very, very well.

Inuyasha continued to pick his way around, but she did not feel the need to. She was still rattled from the spider attack, and that combined with seeing her family's graves was making this a very unsettling night. On top of everything, she was tired and a little hungry and wanted to go back to her hut and go to sleep.

She was startled when Inuyasha strode right up to her and stuck his face right into hers, peering right at her, hardly blinking. She backed away from the intrusive attention, but before she could protest he swung her onto his back and lifted off the ground. She floundered a bit until she managed to get a fistful of his clothing and use it to pull herself fully onto his back. Jerk didn't even warn her.

He set down by the fishpond, practically dropping her.

"Go home and sleep, bitch. You need to rest."

She glowered at him. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

He scoffed at her. "I'm me! And I can tell you to do whatever I want."

Kagome crossed her arms at him. "But that doesn't mean I will obey."

"You will so!"

"Will not!"

"Fine! Stay awake all night."

He strode off without a backward glance at her, leaping off after a few steps. He was gone in only a few seconds. Kagome was already regretting arguing with him. He was obviously very prideful and touchy, which did not go so well with her pride. She really did need to go to sleep, but she didn't want some man she had only met last night ordering her to go to bed.

Because she felt the slightest bit guilty about making him so mad that he ran off, she quickly went to her hut and curled into her mat. She regretted not being able to ask him to come again. He was obstinate and stubborn as hell, but he was much more interesting to talk to than the other villagers. Most of them didn't feel like associating with her anyway.

_It's pretty sad that my only real company now is a mean man who openly belittles me. Actually, it's probably sadder that I want him to come back again. _

Kagome shifted away from a bump under her mat, fidgeting uneasily.

_What should I do?_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

Chapter 2

Habit brought her awake a little before dawn. She roused and made herself a strong cup of tea. It helped her to wake in the morning, and filled her belly to start the day strong.

She tried to sort her through her tasks for the day, but she was too distracted.

_Calm down, Kagome. Try to think through this. Don't let your emotions overwhelm you. _

She pinched her nose and rubbed her temples.

_What are his intentions? Sometimes he seemed like he was about to proposition me, but then he would be hostile to humans. It doesn't make sense. I feel like I'm missing something about him, something that would make him make a lot more sense. _

She turned her head sharply when she heard movement in the village. _Today is the day we repair the leak in the rice paddy, isn't it? I suppose I should get up now and go help._

She quickly straightened her hair and her clothing, coming out of the hut to fully stand up and pull her kimono smooth. She quickly made her way through the village and up past the beginning of the rice paddies. The village's paddies went up in ledges into the hillside, and the particular one to repair was up a good distance. She could see that several farmers were already there, waiting for more people to come.

It took her only a few minutes to get there, and then she stood off to the side, ignoring and being ignored by the other villagers. The sun was clear of the mountains when everyone was there. The day was looking to be another hot one, and she hoped that the work would be done before the sun was high in the sky, so that she wouldn't sweat through her kimono, as it was hard for her to bathe and she had no other kimono to change into. She had owned one other kimono, but it had either been taken or burned with her home. She had no idea how she would get another set of clothes, since the village was relatively poor and no one would give her any clothing.

The headman called for attention, and gave directions. Kagome followed behind some other women. It turned out they were going to clear out one of the irrigation ditches as well as repair the paddy, and Kagome wanted to be in the shade during the hot day.

She spent several hours pulling reeds and branches out of the ditch and piling them a ways away. To her dismay, she felt sweat developing at her hairline and underarms and trickling down her neck and legs. She wiped insistently at her forehead, feeling dirt smear on her face. She sighed. _It's hopeless. I guess I should try to take a bath tonight in the stream._

The stream ran by her old home as well as through the village, and by her home there was a wide space in the stream, concealed by trees. She could trek up there later.

_And hope I don't run into another youkai._

She shuddered. _Maybe I could try to bathe closer to the village. Maybe there's a better place just upstream that's still out of sight. _

She knocked herself in the forehead. _Baka! I was never afraid of the forest before, especially never when I lived up in the mountains. I shouldn't be afraid now just because I ran into a giant spider. I didn't get attacked all my life until now, so the chances are pretty slim that anything will happen again. _

_Confidence, Kagome, confidence!_

She jumped with renewed vigor. "I am confident!" she said out loud, laughing. Quickly she looked around for anyone who would have seen her, and when she didn't see anyone she giggled quietly and went back to hauling debris.

They finished a little after the sun passed its high point, and Kagome returned to her hut. She checked on her drying herbs, and took down the ones that were done and stored them. She thought about getting more, but didn't want to go out into the heat. Later she would trade the herbs for rice and other things that she needed in the village. Though many of them didn't like her, they still appreciated the medical aid that the herbs provided, and they provided her with enough to live on.

_I need to get tea later._ She noted to herself, checking her stores. She decided to nap to get out of the heat of the afternoon.

When she woke only a little time had passed judging from the sun, but it was still hot. After a while children came, and she brewed tea for them. Soon the sun was going down, and she made dinner for herself, bidding the children farewell.

She began to grow nervous. Throughout the day she had tried not to think about whether he would return that night, but she couldn't distract herself as it grew dark.

Kagome sat fidgeting on her mat. She didn't know what time it was, but it was late. The moon was high, and it was getting harder to keep her eyes open. She poked her head out and scanned the forest yet again. No sign of silver and red.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kagome wearily made her bed. It had been four days since she saw him last.

_I guess I made him mad enough that he won't come back,_ she thought somewhat sadly. He had been interesting, and had talked to her, even though he was rude when he did so. Anything different from normal life would be good, but now he was gone, and there wasn't much she could do about it.

She lay down on her mat and sprawled out. Her long hair twined out around her head, and she played with it, twining the strands around her fingers. Her hair was curlier than normal, and she loved it. Most of the villagers had straight and unkempt hair, but her hair was wavy. She was almost certain that it had come from her mother, because she'd also had the same hair, which she had kept securely bound in a bun underneath her head cloth.

Shuffling drew her attention outside. Figuring it was just an animal, she decided to let it be and wait until it left. The shuffling drew nearer, and she realized with a start that it was heading straight for her.

She sat up quickly, heart pounding, and flew to the side of the door. She was afraid to go outside, but she also didn't want to not see what was out there.

_Courage, Kagome, courage!_

She sucked in breath and ran outside. She looked around, but saw nothing. She circled her hut at a distance, and still there was nothing, not even a rat.

She was exceedingly puzzled, and annoyed that it had freaked her out as much as it had. Cautiously she returned to her hut, rushing through the entryway to settle down again on her mat. The noise still confused her, but it could be some village boys making a nuisance of themselves, or something like that. Or maybe the wind was making her hear things. Either way, it was nothing to worry about.

Kagome breathed deeply a few times to calm her racing heart, and then curled up to try and sleep some before the sun rose.

A little ways away, crouched on a tree branch, a solitary figure listened to the sounds of her settling down and waited until her breathing deepened into sleep before making its way off into the dark of the forest.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The normally peaceful, bustling activity of the village the next morning came to a sudden halt with the sound of rapid hoof beats approaching from the road coming from the mountains. Since messengers from the imperial capital always came from the other direction, the group approaching could be bearing no imperial decree, and were most likely dangerous. The villagers responded in kind by scurrying their children and valuables as well out of sight as possible.

The danger manifested itself as a scruffy group of about twenty-five armed and mounted men who strode right into the village like it was their own property. The village headman and some of the elders worried their hands and glanced at each other nervously as the leader, an especially tall brute bearing a long halberd, strutted about the village proper.

"Well, it's a dump, but what can ya expect, eh?" He chortled, and then kicked over a farming tool that had been left by its frightened owner in the road. He finally turned to inspect the village heads, and after measuring them up and discovering that they appeared to be quite open to a little persuasion, casually loosed his halberd from its carrier and jauntily approached them.

"From now we will use this village as a supply point," he declared authoritatively to the trembling assembly of older men. "Right now we need three barrels of rice and all the sake you've got in this puny town. We'll make our camp around the headman's house."

The residents of the village could only tremble at these pronouncements, and thought they could not spare any extra food they lost no time in procuring the demanded items. There was also a very flurried discussion between the headman and some of the elders that resulted in a woman with a questionable reputation who lived near the edge of town being summoned to entertain the bandit group in order to stem the tide of inevitable lust.

The village remained more or less on lockdown the whole day, with no farmers visiting their fields or going about chores aside from those associated with the demands of the invaders.

Of this Kagome remained perfectly unaware until she returned to the village in the mid-afternoon, as she had gone into the mountain early in the morning to search for herbs and other materials of which she had begun to run short. The lack of activity in the fields and the village road made her nervous, and that caution led her to sneak into the village through the underbrush, and provided her with an opportunity to witness the captors firsthand.

The sake had been produced earlier in the day, and to say that they were tipsy would be an understatement. Most of the villagers were out of sight, the few very unfortunate ones who were tending to the demands of the warriors clearly wished to be out of sight as well.

As it was Kagome was unable to get back to her hut while staying out of sight, so she slunk back into the underbrush to watch the warriors more closely from a position of greater safety. She soon was able to pick out the leader, who had not been into the alcohol to the extent of many of his men. He still watched the villagers and the surroundings with more or less clear vision, and the look in his eyes worried Kagome. His eyes were hard and his expression sharp, a combination which did not bode well for the village residents. The woman who lived on the outer edge of the village cavorted with the normal soldiers, while the leader scanned the area in a bored manner.

Kagome felt a cold chill go down her spine. In order to keep the peace with all the drunken, armed, and most likely violent outsiders, there would probably be a necessity for female sacrifice in order to keep the peace, as one woman certainly wouldn't be enough for all of the gathered men. All the other girls of around the right age in the village had fathers or husbands to defend them, which left Kagome with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

In her mind she entertained a brief fantasy that Inuyasha, who still had yet to put in an appearance after storming off, would come in and defend her, but she quickly shook her head. The headman would most likely come for her tonight, or maybe the next at the very latest.

Crouched in the dirt, she allowed herself several moments of mourning. If her family had still been alive, both her distance from the village and her grandfather could have defended her. But now she had no protector, and was soon going to be in desperate need of one.

_I could hide._ She thought quickly. _Hide in the forest, and wait for them to leave. But no, _she checked herself; _the village might cast me out for hiding from what they would call my duty. They would say that I have no prospects anyway._

Since she was thinking so deeply, she didn't notice the heavy footfalls approaching her hiding place. By the time she did notice, it was only to gape in horror as the leader grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the concealing foliage.

"Well well, look what we have here," he chuckled, his eyes holding a dark gleam. "Thinking of hiding from us, were ya?"

Kagome spent only a moment gaping, and then decided to fight back. "Let go of me!" she cried, wrenching at her arm.

He tightened his grip to the point where the tips of her fingers became numb, and dragged her into the camp. He abruptly released her and let her fall onto her bottom, while several of the drunken men began to eye her appreciatively.

"Where've you bin hidin', pretty girl?" One of the drunker men slurred, making an attempt to get to his feet, which ended with him on the ground on his side, confused about his lack of ability to balance himself properly. Another of the men, quite a bit more sober, straightened the front of his loose billowing shirt, all the while his eyes never leaving her form. He glanced at the leader, who slowly nodded, and then her gained a predatory gleam.

"You're a sweet thing, you know that?" he purred, picking up his knife and proceeding to stalk her.

More than a little nervous, Kagome eyed her surroundings, only to discover that the sober men had boxed her in, and the drunk ones formed enough obstacles that escape would not be easy.

The man managed to grab hold of her arm and pointed the knife threateningly at her. "You'll be good for me, right girlie?" he smirked, taking in her frightened expression with excited eyes. At that moment Kagome saw past his shoulder into one of the huts, the home of her mother's friend who had taken her in for a few days after her family's murder. Her mother's friend and her husband were both visible inside the doorway, mostly hidden from sight, making no apparent attempt to defend her. Kagome was crushed. They were her last possible defense in the village, but if they gave way then she was truly alone.

Her jaw hardened. _I'm not going to sit here quietly and take this! Even if they kill me for the impertinence at least I will uphold my own honor!_

Kagome waited until the man had moved the knife away in order to get a better grip on her to strike him at his weakest point. She successfully hit her target, and he dropped like a stone, howling at the mistreatment. She managed to duck the first man who tried to grab her, but was struck in the back by someone and then a second later punched in the cheek. Dropping to her knees, the world spun and started to go black as they struck at her.

The leader, who had watched impassively the whole time, called the men to a halt. Kagome barely heard his commands through the pounding in her ears, though she noticed when the men began to pull away from her. She woke up enough to catch the tail end of what he was saying.

"—sure got hit hard, ya bastard. I'll break her for yeh, and let ya have a go after I'm done wit' her. Have to wait till the wench wakes up tho', because otherwise there ain't no sport." He said it jestingly, but she knew that he meant no joke. She decided the best thing she could do was pretend to be unconscious, because then they just might leave her be, and give her enough time to escape.

The gods apparently decided to smile on her that day, and the bandits left her be. Her second blessing came in the form of one of the elders, who came to ask that they be allowed to move her prone body off of the main road. The request was granted, though she realized her luck was limited since she was dropped off in her own little hut and left there alone, and not taken somewhere where there was the chance of food or someone to look at her injuries. However, since she was finally out of sight she was able to sit up and gently treat them herself. There was very little she could do beyond assessing in the dim light of her little hovel, since she had at best a dipperful of water, and no food.

Her head was pounding, and that made it very difficult to focus on her escape plan. She found herself leaning her forehead against the cool earthen wall to ease the ache, and then she knew no more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When she woke, it was to the sound of a frantic whine, like the sound a dog would make. Confused, since the village dogs didn't usually come into her hovel, she attempted to open her eyes, only to realize that one was swollen shut and that even though the other opened, it was dark out, with no lights lit nearby. The dim sounds of merrymaking came to her ears, and she realized that it must be around dinnertime, or maybe a little after. The whining continued, and she weakly tried to push the canine out of her home.

"Go home!" she grumbled weakly, sick with fear at what would likely come in a few hours and completely out of patience.

The whining stopped, though the flesh she made contact with didn't feel furry. On the contrary, it felt like cloth, worn cloth, but man-made all the same. She tried again to open her eyes and see who or what it was that was in her home, but it was far to dim for her one good eye. As she adjusted to the light she found that she could make out a figure, a male figure, crouching over her as she was slumped in a corner. The profile of his hair didn't match any of the village men, and though her first thought was to scream at this invasion by one of the warriors, she remembered that none of them had had a wild mane that fell over their shoulders and back. Only one person that she knew of sported such looks.

Surprised, she wet her throat, and croaked "Inuyasha?"

A callused hand gently lifted her hair from her face. It was dark, but it seemed like he could see her, because he was very gentle with her wounds as he inspected each of the visible ones. His hand settled gently on her forehead, his fingers just resting uncomfortably on her blackened left eye. She winced, and he moved his fingers immediately.

Soft growling filled her hut. He was evidently trying to be quiet, but was displeased.

Kagome started a bit. _He really does care_,she thought to herself, softening towards him, while also trying to harden herself with that fact that he would leave her for days without a word, and unprotected at a vulnerable time.

A conversation started up just up the road from her little hut, and that made both of them tense.

"Why'd the boss hafta make us come get some broad when we was in the middle of eating?" one voice complained.

"As long as we git to hear 'er scream I don't give a shit," rasped the man she had first kicked. "I hope he takes his fuckin' time on the broad."

They had drawn almost to her door when a whirlwind of red and silver took them both off their feet and into the fishpond. The commotion drew the attention of the rest of the men, and those who were able to stand grabbed their weapons and did so, though it was only about half of the number. They were knocked down with stunning speed, their weapons destroyed, and then the silver haired dog hanyou squarely faced the leader, who had picked up his halberd and was still showing signs of sobriety.

Kagome only witnessed part of their battle, since it took her a minute or two to get up and drag herself out of her hut and up the road to where she could see. She got there in time to see the hanyou take the halberd in a slashing arc across his chest, which ripped a scream from her throat. He seemed to twitch at the sound, and then threw himself forward, tearing open the leader's right arm while flinging him across the open area in the center of the village. At that moment Kagome tried to stand and run to him, though she was not quite sure what for. As she rose, one of the cast aside men picked up a discarded weapon and managed to smash her across the head with it. She saw nothing after that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all of the reviews! Sorry that this took a while to get out. I didn't want to leave people hanging with that cliffhanger for this long. Enjoy! ~ Akihana**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its associated content.

Chapter 3

She felt consciousness drift back to her in waves, first aware of the softness and feeling of coolness that surrounded her body, and then aware of the unwelcome throbbing in her head, eye, and other bruised areas.

She whimpered quietly at the ache, and tried to move her hand up to inspect the damage to her eye, but her hand was stuck and wouldn't move. Blearily confused, she opened her good eye slowly, squinting at the light.

_It's daytime? I must have slept right through the night. Wait, where am I?_

Quite a bit more confused than before, she focused on waiting for her eye to adjust to the light, and was more than a little surprised to see the human monk from before watching her serenely.

"Good morning," he said smoothly, leaning slightly forward. "How are you feeling?"

Kagome blinked at him, only to realize that such a movement hurt when one eye was swollen shut, and swallowed carefully.

"Miroku-sama?" she queried softly.

He smiled gently. "I am glad that a young lady as pretty as yourself remembered my name, my lovely maiden, although I am worried about your physical condition. You were in quite a mess when Inuyasha brought you here."

Kagome swallowed hard. "Inuyasha brought me…where?"

"The castle, of course. This is the fortress of the dog demons, and both Inuyasha and myself currently reside within its walls."

Kagome was certainly startled. "But…but I haven't heard of this place before. How far am I from my village?"

Miroku appeared to be thinking, and finally answered. "By normal human methods, most likely several days away. However, from the perspective of your village this castle is in the opposite direction of the imperial capital, so most humans don't tend to pass this way."

Kagome remembered the bandits, who had most likely come from the same direction, and shuddered. The road to the north of them was largely untravelled and considered highly dangerous. _How am I going to get home?_ She worried to herself, knowing that she couldn't cover that distance on her own.

Miroku evidently picked up on her worries, because he waved a hand indulgently. "Don't worry about any of this now. What you need to focus on now is your recovery, and we'll deal with the rest of this later."

Kagome still had a great many questions for him, but she saw that he was trying to end the conversation, so she let it rest.

Miroku stood and smoothed out his robes, and his movement allowed her a chance to study her surroundings. She was in a clean room that looked like it came from a palace, because the walls were smoothed screens, with one divider in the center of the room with beautiful designs of cranes and pines. She lay in an actual futon, with clean sheets and bright embroidery, which lay directly upon the polished, smoothed wooden floor. It looked like the main guest room in the village headman's house, though this room was in better condition and made with higher quality materials.

_I really am in a castle_, she thought wondrously to herself.

The realization that Miroku was speaking drew her from her thoughts.

"I will inform Inuyasha that you have arisen. Please stay in the bed though, because otherwise he will be angry with me for allowing you to possibly injure yourself further." With a sheepish smile and a small bow, he ducked out of the room.

Kagome pursed her lips in annoyance. _I want to get up now just because he said not to, but my head really isn't in the condition for it._ Grudgingly admitting that it was probably best for her to stay firmly where she couldn't lose her balance and fall over, she settled down and closed her eye to try to soothe her aching head.

It felt like her eyes had only been closed a moment before a quick step was heard outside and without warning the door to the room slid open, followed closely by her brash savior.

Inuyasha entered the room with all the bluster and confidence that she had been used to associate with him, through she thought that she saw him droop slightly when his eyes fell onto her. Without preamble he sat down at the side of her bedding, folded his hands into his long, draping sleeves, and proceeded to stare at her.

Very disconcerted by his sheer brazen confidence mixed with the lack of tact in entering the room while ignoring her, Kagome wasn't sure what to say to him. She didn't want to get into a scrape with him, because she wasn't in the condition to fight equally. However, he didn't seem to be in the mood to start a conversation, and didn't try to bother her.

Finally Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and she started asking him questions.

"Inuyasha, why did you bring me here after I blacked out?"

He frowned, but replied nonetheless. "It was too dangerous in that village. If roving bandits can enter whenever they want and your own village won't defend you then it ain't safe for you to stay there."

"But what about the rest of the village?" she asked, slightly panicked. "If you took down some of the bandits then the rest of them might slaughter my village!"

He gave her a piercing look, and neatly dodged the question. "Would you have rather that I left you there? One little human bitch can't compete against an armed man, let alone a whole group of them. You would—!" he seemed to change his mind, and stopped speaking.

Kagome became introspective, well aware that if he hadn't come she would most likely either be dead or wishing to be so. The painful marks on her flesh only served as a reminder of this.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful," she said softly. "Thank you for rescuing me, Inuyasha. I know what kind of situation I would have been in if you hadn't come for me."

Inuyasha also seemed to soften as he heard this, though within moments his barriers were back up.

"Keh, if you weren't so weak this wouldn't have happened. I can't turn away for a second before you get yourself into trouble, bitch."

Flushing with anger, Kagome felt the urge to confront him with his long absence, but decided not to sink to his level. He had been worried for her, and even though she could scarcely have imagined it before he had protected her, and he was still protecting her while she was wounded. She softened again, and sent a small smile his way, which seemed to get under his guard better than any verbal barb would have.

"Thank you for watching out for me. I'll try to be more careful when I get back home."

He frowned in response to this, and his expression clouded, though he didn't say anything.

Kagome tried to press her point. "How long is it to walk back to my village? I can stick to the side roads to avoid any dangerous people, though I would be grateful for a few rations to help me get back home."

Nervously shifting, he didn't respond immediately. However, when he did bring his gaze up to meet hers, she was surprised to see steel in his amber eyes.

"You aren't going back to that village anymore."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, her voice higher than normal.

"I can't watch out for you when you're there, and I won't make that mistake again. You're going to stay here."

Kagome was surprised to say the least. "W-w-what?" she stammered out. "What am I going to do here? I'm just a poor girl, with no family, so what use could I be?"

Inuyasha didn't hold her gaze and began to study the floor. "We're working on it. Don't worry about it."

"That's not an answer!"

"Fine, bitch! We're probably going to find a servant's position for you here, with one of the ladies."

Kagome wasn't convinced. "This seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a servant. Wouldn't I be stepping on a lot of toes if I got a position here? Not to mention that this room and this attention is way too luxurious for that of a potential servant."

Inuyasha turned red, whether from embarrassment or anger she couldn't quite tell.

"Just get better! You're useless like this anyway," he growled. He backed up so that he could lean against the wall, clearly trying to communicate that the conversation was over. Kagome chose to oblige him. He was clearly hiding things from her, but her head hurt too much to try to get the information out of him.

They stayed like that for what felt like at least an hour, until footsteps approached the room and revealed themselves to belong to Miroku and an old woman.

The old woman was carrying a basket, and Miroku was holding what appeared to be a tray with a bowl of something that smelled delicious and tea. Realizing that it must be around lunchtime, she tried to sit up carefully. There was a quick motion from Inuyasha, which he tried to hide when she successfully managed to sit up by herself.

Miroku set the tray down and then cleared his throat. "This is Kaede, who works in the infirmary of this fortress."

Kaede nodded, and carefully took Kagome's chin in her hands to turn her head from side to side. Her wizened lips were pursed, and her one eye, for the other was covered with a patch, was narrowed. She harrumphed, and reached for her basket.

"I'll apply a cool cloth on the worst of the bruising, child, and you should drink the tea. I put painkilling medicine in it. You must have a headache."

"Thank you," Kagome said. "Pardon my asking, but what did you make the tea from?"

Kaede gave her a curious look, and recited the ingredients. Kagome nodded to herself, noting that she would have used the same. Kaede seemed even more curious about this reaction, and asked her about it.

Kagome smiled shyly. "I know a little of plants."

Kaede seemed about to ask more, but was cut off by Miroku.

"If Kaede-sama would excuse me, you should eat this while it is hot." Kaede made no signs of dissent, so Miroku pushed the food closer to Kagome. It revealed itself to be a piece of grilled fish resting atop some greens as well as a bowl of rice and some soup.

Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of so much food at once, and shot a nervous glance at Miroku.

"This all is for me?"

"Eat it already." Inuyasha broke in from his position on the wall, looking rather put out.

Kagome chose not to speculate on his mood and made quick work of the food, after which she sipped the hot tea. Once she had finished that as well Kaede made her lay back down and began placing cold cloths on her swollen eye and other bruising. Kagome felt the ache almost immediately ease.

"Your name is Kagome, am I correct, child?" Kaede asked.

"Yes." Kagome agreed.

"I presume these two men have not told you many details, have they?" Kaede queried dryly.

Inuyasha growled under his breath, but didn't interfere. Confused, Kagome assented.

"If possible, I would like to go home," she said, though internally she was filled with doubt. Inuyasha's previous arguments had hit home, and she was beginning to seriously question whether she wanted to go back to her village.

The image of her family's home in the mountains, and their graves left to seed by the village floated to the surface of her mind.

_I have to go home. My family will be saddened if no one cares for their graves, and I don't have a reason to stay here. I can deal with the reactions of the villagers…_

Kagome shuddered. Even if the bandits had run off, or had been done in by Inuyasha, it was highly unlikely that the village would take her back in. They had barely done it when her family's house had been burned, and now that she was known to have a connection with some otherworldly creature, not to mention her dealings with the bandits, she doubted that they would shelter her, especially traveling back from the northern roads.

_Oh, what am I going to do about the graves?_

Despairing, she didn't notice that Kaede had apparently asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." She said sheepishly, trying to push down her worries for now.

Kaede frowned, and repeated herself. "From what it sounds like, home is not a safe place for you. We can offer you shelter here, and I have been in need of an assistant for some time. These youkai don't tend to worry about injuries, but there are definitely some things that require the attention of a healer."

Kagome blinked rapidly. "Are there more humans here?" she asked.

"There are a number." Miroku answered nonchalantly, playing with his rosary.

Kaede nodded. "And from what you asked before, I can see that there would be great benefit to training you in the healing arts."

"But, but—" Kagome cut in.

"Just let us take care of you, stubborn wench." Inuyasha growled from the wall.

Both Kaede and Miroku shot him looks, but didn't comment. Kagome took the chance to sit up, the cloths falling from her forehead into her lap.

"I really need to go home, Inuyasha!" she cried. "My family is buried there, and I don't want them to be left alone!" She sent a pleading look his way.

For his part, Inuyasha did seem a bit discomfited by this information. Both Miroku and Kaede seemed to be waiting for him to say something, and Kagome looked close to tears.

"Whenever you want to go visit the graves, I'll take you. You just have to stay and live here where we can keep an eye on you," Inuyasha stated finally, eyes averted.

Kagome felt something of a weight lift from her chest. She didn't truly have any desire to see any of the villagers or the village again, as long as she could maintain the connection to her family's spirits. This way they would be appeased, but she could still learn more about healing.

She laid herself back down ad placed the cold cloth back over her eye, grimacing at the damp spot it had left on the covers.

Kaede showed no signs of leaving her charge, and neither did the two men. Silence dominated, though eventually the men began to talk about things she didn't quite follow, and Kaede took the opportunity to ask her more about her knowledge of herb lore. Even though her head was aching Kagome was very pleased to discover that Kaede was very knowledgeable and experienced, and they chatted for a long time about various plants and medicines.

Finally Kaede determined that Kagome's bruising did not warrant confinement to her bed, and that some exercise would be a good idea. She slyly suggested that the men show her some of the castle, and then bring her down to the infirmary so that they could figure out what to do about her quarters. Inuyasha was not pleased about her getting up and moving around so soon, but seeing that Kagome approved of the idea, as it appeared the pain killing tea had kicked in, he gave in, grumbling. Miroku was a much more gracious host, offering his hand to help her stand, which attracted more growling from the hanyou.

"Really Inuyasha, if you are not going to help this fine young lady to stand then I don't see why I shouldn't!" Miroku protested in annoyance. Kagome mentally rolled her eyes, knowing that doing so outwardly would probably attract more wrath from her ill-humored protector.

"First of all, I shall need both of you to wait outside." Kaede cut in firmly.

Both men looked at her curiously.

Kaede looked at them with the beginnings of annoyance. "Kagome needs to change out of that sleeping robe into something more suitable, and I think she would not appreciate your presence during the process," she said dryly.

Miroku's eyes lit up, though he was stopped from vocalizing any of his thoughts as a pink-cheeked Inuyasha grabbed him by the front of his robes and dragging him bodily from the room. After the door closed there was the sound of a thump of flesh on flesh, and the beginnings of a barely audible argument outside.

Kaede sighed. "Honestly…"

She held out a simple kimono and obi for Kagome, who quickly stripped out of her sleeping yukata and put the kimono on. Kaede then exchanged the robe for a pair of tabi, which Kagome sat down to pull onto her feet. After some quick finger combing of her tangled locks she was able to pull it back and tie it with a strip of cloth. When she was presentable they opened the door and came outside, to discover a slightly wounded Miroku and Inuyasha red now more with anger than embarrassment.

"Let's go," he said curtly, tucking his arms into his sleeves and abruptly turning and striding down the corridor. He paused when he reached the end of the hall to wait for Kaede's slower gait and Kagome's halting steps, and when he started walking again he moved noticeably slower.

Before Kagome realized it they had entered the infirmary. It was an open, airy room, looking out onto a peaceful garden. There were several futons laid out, along with one corner clearly marked out for the doctor's use with a table and tools and bandages arranged within reach.

"Here we are," Kaede said. "This is the main room in the infirmary. My private quarters are the next set of rooms over, in case of some emergency. That will also be where we will put you up."

Kagome noted the empty beds and the medicines all arranged close at hand and turned puzzlingly to Kaede. "Why wasn't I brought here at first? All the medicines are in here."

Miroku smiled "Inuyasha insisted that you be given the utmost care and consideration, and was worried that the ordinary infirmary might not be private enough." He turned towards Inuyasha in anticipation of the other's reaction, and was rewarded by a sharp "shut it, monk" from the hanyou.

Kaede rolled her eyes at the pair of them, well used to Miroku's baiting of Inuyasha's volatile temper, but noted with interest that Kagome looked carefully at Inuyasha, and then turned her eyes down with pink cheeks. She knew that Inuyasha was unusually taken with this girl from the extraordinary attention he paid to her comfort and care, but she had been concerned about how much of the attention was reciprocated.

_Especially after his last disaster_, she thought to herself. Well, she would have plenty of time for observation, seeing as the girl would be working under her, and hopefully she would be able to either encourage or separate them if either proved to be necessary.

"How soon shall we start?" Kagome asked Kaede, drawing her from her musings.

"You still need to rest!" Inuyasha cut in. "You only just got up, dammit, and we need to make sure that you're fine before you go and make yourself worse."

"I feel fine! The tea helped, and I don't want to just lie around all day. I need to repay you for your help."

"Repay me by resting and getting better! If you hurt yourself more you're just going to cause more trouble that you already are! Don't be so stubborn, wench!"

"Don't call me wench! My name is Kagome!"

"I wouldn't call you stubborn, _wench_, if you were being reasonable. We've shown you the infirmary, now you should rest."

Miroku interrupted. "What about seeing other parts of the castle? Inuyasha, we promised to show her around."

Inuyasha scowled. "Screw that. We can do it tomorrow, when more of your wounds have healed and you can walk properly."

"I can so walk properly!" Kagome jutted in.

"All this noise I'm sure is making Kagome's head worse." Kaede interjected blandly, which got the desired reaction.

Inuyasha blanched, and kicked at the ground in annoyance. "Fine," he mumbled, "I'll take you to one place. That's it though!"

Kagome looked curiously at Kaede, wondering how the woman had grown so adept at handling the rude, short-tempered hanyou. She would definitely have to take note of her methods for future use, especially since Inuyasha seemed inclined to involve himself in her affairs.

Inuyasha led them back out into the hallway and past several rooms, finally settling on one door and throwing it open. The group found themselves in a wide room with the dividing panels between the room and the veranda already open, allowing them a view of an elegant garden, complete with a small waterfall tumbling over moss covered rocks and surrounded by daintily shaped evergreens.

Delighted by the sight, Kagome took several steps forward. She had never seen such orchestrated beauty, only the natural scenery around her home village, and was amazed by what a human hand could add to natural beauty.

She was quite content to gaze at the garden for several minutes, before she realized that a small table was set out with tea and small cakes in the room itself, explaining why it was left open for viewing. She glanced curiously at Inuyasha, who had followed her gaze to the wooden table but did not acknowledge it as his own doing.

Miroku took the liberty of answering the unspoken question. "Most likely some other resident of the castle asked for the room to be prepared, in which case we should not linger excessively."

As if on cue, a tall youkai swept proudly into the room. Kagome gasped. He and Inuyasha were clearly related, from their distinctly colored hair and eyes, although they did not acknowledge each other.

This taller youkai's eyes looked over their party in a bored way, but stopped and sharpened upon her. She quailed under his gaze, her insides clenching as though she had been caught somewhere she wasn't meant to be, but then he looked away in apparent disinterest and focused on Inuyasha, who had remained leaning against the wall while the rest of them entered the room.

They did not speak, but the expression of the youkai shifted into something close to mocking, and he raised his hand in an elegant, sweeping gesture telling them to be gone. Inuyasha's brows furrowed and he looked as though he was about to speak, but Miroku clamped his hand down on the hanyou's shoulder and spoke in his stead.

"Pardon our intrusion, Sesshoumaru-sama. We were just leaving."

Kagome followed Kaede out through the door, noting that Inuyasha stared belligerently at this youkai for a few moments before following after them, pointedly not closing the door after himself. The other three had headed back in the direction towards the infirmary, but he abruptly turned away from them and strode off in the opposite direction and was soon out of sight behind a turn in the hallway.

Once he was out of earshot both Miroku and Kaede sighed, exchanged looks, and then Miroku bade his farewell and went off in the same direction as the hanyou, leaving Kaede to guide her young charge back to her new residence.

Kagome was bursting with questions, but Kaede seemed pensive and distant, so Kagome chose not to bother her at the moment. There would be plenty of time later to ask about the politics of the castle, Inuyasha's history and position, and why his relationship with someone seemingly powerful was both familiar and unfriendly.


End file.
